Electric starter for internal-combustion engines



Apr. 10, 192$ 1,451,539

o. BRlSBQ'iS ELECTRIC STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Feb.'7, 1921 Jnvntor 1 B risbaisf @mm (1 imrn y,

' Patented Apr. 10, 1923.

STATES. PATENT OFFIQE. a

ODILON' BRISIBOIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC STARTER FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed February 7, 1921. Serial No. 443,172.

To all whom it may concerw:

Be it known that I, ODILON BRISBOIS, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new anduseful Improvements in an Electric Starter forInternal-Combustion Engines,

of which the following, when taken in connection with the drawingaccompanying and forming a part hereof, is a specification.

This invention relates to what are known in the automotive art aselectric starters and comprises mechanism which is positioned between anelectric motor and the crank shaft of an internal combustion engine;said starters being arranged so that, the engine being at rest, or dead,upon closing the electric circuit of which said electrlc motor is anelement, it will be energized, and will turn the crank shaft of saidengine continuously until said crank shaft is turned by the combustionof fuel in the combustion chamber thereof; whereupon, on said circuitbeing broken said motor ceases to be the driving member of said crankshaft, it beingthereafter driven by the pistons and connections of saidengine.

Among the objects of this invention are to obtain an electric starterwhich is simple in construction, of few parts, economically made, anddurable. Additional objects are to obtain a starter of the kind namedand adapted to be positioned between an electric motor and the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine and a starter which isprovidedwith a gear pinion adapted to intermesh with gear teethconcentric to and rotatable with said crank shaft, which. when not inoperation will not be in mesh, and which, when about to be operated willmove into mesh, without rotation, and when so moved into mesh willrotate and produce rotation of said intermeshing gear and said crankshaft; and which, when said intermeshing geari's rotated by rotation ofsaid .crank shaft, (the rotation of said pinion by said electric motorhaving ceased, as by the breaking of the circuit named), said pinionwill,

while continuously rotating, move laterally out of engagement with saidinter-meshing ear. g Further objects of this invention contemplate theuse o'f.a member having a helical or spiral surface or groove adapted toen'- gage an abutment on the starting pinion whereby the binding of thepresent used screw shaft is avoided, the gumminess of lubricant avoidedand a more responsive starter is obtained. It is also an additionalobJect of this invention to provide a yield- 1ng connection between themotor starting pinion and driven member of the internal combustionengine. L' I obtain the several objects above set forth by the'mechanismillustrated in the drawing referred to, in which V Fig. 1s a view,partly in elevation and partly 1n section, of said mechanism, with adiagram of an electric motor in proper relation thereto. I

Fig. 2 is a view on line 2-2 viewed as indicated by arrows.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view, looking down, of an outer shell of saidmechanism, showing the brake members which are also illustrated in Fig.1, and

Fig. 4 is an end elevation, on line 4-4 of Flg. 1, viewed as indicatedby arrows.

of Fig. 1,

A reference character applied to desig nate a given part indicates saidpart throughout the several figures, wherever the same appears. v

A- indicates an electric'motor, and B the shaft thereof. C represents ahub which is secured on said shaft to turn therewith,

her F is illustrated as of two diameters, the

smaller diameter thereof being substantially the same as the internaldiameter of cylinder G, so as to slide easily thereinto as the member Fmoves or is moved from the position in which it is illustrated in Fig. 1towards the right. i" indicates the line where the part of member Fwhich is of smaller diameter joins the part thereof of larger diameter.H represents a spiral spring, which is openly wound, and one end thereofbent into a substantially radial plane, as indicatedby broken lines 12.,Figs. The other end of spring H is curved to form a hook which is in theplane of the cylindrical portion of said spring, or substantially so, asat h", (Figs. 1 and2); It should be noted that the spring H constitutesa member having a helical or spiral guideway or slot for advancing thegear into mesh with the engine flywheel or the like and retract-- ingthe same whenthe engine starts. T

represents a cylindrical shell, the right hand end whereof, as viewed inFig. 1, is sup glorted by resting on the periphery of disk and theopposite end whereof is supported by pin J, said shell being therebymaintained substantially concentric to shaft B. Pin J is illustrated asprovided with screw threads which fit-into corresponding internal screwthreads cut in an aperture in member F (see broken lines j. Fi 2).

j represents a pin which is embedded in shell I and which extendsthrough pin or screw J, to prevent said pin turning in said shell or inmember F. K, K, represent brake members which are illustrated asyieldingly held in contact with shell I by springs L, L. Springs L, L,are illustrated as secured to brakemembers K, K, by screws 70, k, and tothe casing of motor A by screws Z, Z. M, m, Figs. 1 and 2. representarrows whichindicate the direction shaft B and spring H are turned, (bymotor A) to opera ate the apparatus and start the engine on which theapparatus is installed; and X. X, represent gear teeth which areconcentric to the crank shaft of said engine and connected thereto toturn therewith. Teeth f, f, intermesh with teeth X, X, when member F isin the position in which it is illustrated in Fig. 1 m, Fig. 2,represents an arrow which indicates the direction in which member F isturned by spring H, when the end h of said spring engages with pin J tostart an engine; and also the direction in which gear teeth f, f, andmember F are turned by said engine when it is started and motor A is atrest.

The several parts of the apparatus being in the position in which theyare illustrated in Fig. 1, and the engine on which the device isinstalled having been started; upon the breaking of the circuit of whichsaid motor A is an element, the motor, the hub C and the spring H ceaseto turn; but the teeth f, f, and member F will continue to turn, beingrotated by teeth X, X; said rotation of member F rotating shell I, andturning pin J around shaft B, thereby causing said pin J to travelbetweenthe turns of said spring, moving member F towards the right, asviewed in Fig. 1, until teeth f, f, are moved out of engagement with theteeth X, X; whereupon said member F, together with pin J, will cease toturn, as will also shell I. In the last recited operation the brakes K,K, tend to bring shell I and member F to a quick stop. Member F beingmoved to the right so that the teeth f, f, are out of mesh with teeth X,X, if the circuit of which motor A is an element is closed and saidmotor energized, shaft B will be turned in the direction indicated bythe arrow M, (Figs. 1 and 2), and the shell I being held non-rotatableby brakes K, K, the consequent turning of spring II will cause pin J totravel towards the left between the turns of the spring, and during saidtravel of said pin member F will not rotate or be rotated; when,however, pin J is returned to the position in which it is illustrated inFig. 1, by said rotation of spring H and non-rotation of shell 1 andmember F, the curved end h" of the spring H will engage with pin J andthereby turn member F and shell I. Said turning of member F will notoccur until the spring H is well under tension, owing to the inertia ofgears X. X, and the crank shaft of the engine having to be overcome. Theputting of said spring under tension prevents a hammer blow between theteeth 7', f, and X, in the above recited operation.

It will be observed by the foregoing recital that the turning of themotor shaft, hub and spring H; the member F not turning. (being heldtherefrom by brakes K, K, and shell I), said member F is moved to theleft and into the position in which it is illustrated in Fig. 1: and theturning of the member F in the same direction by the intermeshing ofteeth X and f, f, turns pin J and shell H; and shaft B, hub C and springH being at rest, (not turning) moves said member F to the right, untilsaid member ceases to turn.

\Vhen spring H is put under tension in the starting of the engine bymeans of teeth X, as described, the diameter of the coils thereof may belessened; but in no case can they be injured thereby, as when saiddiameter is so lessened that said spring is brought into contact withcylinder G and member F, further lessening of said diameter is preventedthereby.

I claim:

1. A rotatably mounted shaft, means to drive said shaft, a cylinderconcentric to said shaft, and a yielding shaft in said cylinder, incombination with means to attach one end of said yielding shaft to saidfirst shaft, a member provided with eX- ternal gear teeth looselymounted on said first shaft, and a projecting member on said looselymounted member arranged to engage with said yielding shaft and engagedwith said cylinden and adapted to bemoved laterally a determineddistance by the rotation of said yielding shaft, and said yielding shaftarranged to engage said abutment upon the completion of the lateraltravel thereof and turn said projection, said loosely mounted member andsaid cylinder around the axis of said shaft, and means tending to retardrotation of said cylinder.

2. A rotatably mounted shaft, means to rasneeo rotate said shaft, acylinder concentric to said shaft, and a spiral spring in said cylinder,in combination with means to attach one end of said spring to saidshaft, a member provided with external gear teeth loosely mounted onsaid shaft, and a member connecting said cylinder and said looselymounted member, said connecting member arranged to extend between thecoils of said spring, and adapted to be moved laterally a determineddistance by the rotation of said spring, and said spring arranged toengage said connecting member upon the completion of the lateral travelthereof, and turn said connecting member, said loosely mounted memberand said cylinder around the axis of said shaft, and means to yieldinglymaintain said cylinder nonrotatable.

3. A rotatably mounted shaft, means to rotate said shaft, a hub on andrigidly secured to said shaft, a loosely coiled spiral spring, means toattach one end of said spring to said hub, a member loosely mounted onsaid shaft and in said spring, and a cylinder outside said spring, meansto engage said loosely mounted member with an internal combustionengine, to transmit rotation of one thereof to the other, a con-.

necting member joining said loosely mounted member and said cylinder,said connecting member extending between adjacent coils of said springand adapted to maintain said cylinder at said joined end concentric tosaid loosely mounted member projecting therefrom, a member surroundingsaid gear and shaft and connected to said shaft for rotation therewith,said member having a spiral guideway for receiving said stud, one end ofsaid guideway being closed for engaging said stud and rotating saidgear.

5. In an engine starter, a driving shaft, a driving gear loosely mountedthereon for longitudinal movement thereof, and having a stud projectingradially therefrom, a cylindrical member surrounding said shaft and gearand connected to said shaft for rota: tion therewith, said member havinga spiral shit or guideway for receiving said stud, one end of saidguideway being closed for engaging said stud and rotating said gear, andsaid gear being movable .within said cylindrical member.

UDILON BRISBUIS.

Witnesses: CHARLES TURNER BROWN, B. S.'Bnow1v.

